Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-11
WAR LITERATURE.
Important Uterances of the Express
ident Of the Confederacy on Mat
tiers Pertaining to the War
Mcclellan and Meade the two Best Fed
erai Generals, While 4. y Johnston
Had No Peer on Either Side.
Reason Should He Substituted for Passion
A Few Northern Extremists the
Only Disturbing Element.
ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION


BALTIMORE, MD, July 1O.-The Morn
ing Herald OF this city will publish 20
morrow morning a six-cClumn COntribu-
ton giving an account of recent import
ant interviews with Jefferson Davis.
In these interviews Mr.. Davis, among
other things, charges that the Federal
government conspired during the late
war to have him assassinated. On this
subject, Mr.. Davis says: While the Con-
federate government was st M0ntgOm-
cry, Ala, in 1861, | received an aGony-
nous letter from Philadelphia, the sub
stance Of which YVES that the Governor of
Pennsylvania had released g noted des-
peradO from the penitenti&ry, upon the
condition that he would 90 to Montgom-
cry and assassinata me, with the promise
Of q reward Of $4,000 il he succeeded.
That after his release the man stated he
could not probably succeed alone, and
gave the name of another convict OF
CHARACTER LIKE HIS OWN,
with whose assistance he felt sure Of sue
cess, and that second convict was re-
lease1 to accompany the first. MIR. Davis
then gave, with much Enthusiastically,
the details of various attempts on mis-
life. Once he discovered man watching
him behind 8 brick wall surrounding his
(DavlsD residence and followed him.
The man ran sld apparently escaped
through the barn, and, as M Davis be-
heyee, with the c)nniygnce Of q colOred
servant. While riding out TO visit the
de 'GUsive work around Richmond, &C
compinied by Colonel William Preston
T., - Fy1 In
ed iOr "business," passed
JUST BELOW THEM.
This shot came from an apparently vacant
house. Assubgequant search revesled an
armed man under tne floor he was sent
to General Lee by Mr.. Davis orders
with IN explanatory ncte, and the hope
That "he would be put Ill the front liue to
stop ball intended for better man"
On another occasion, in tue suburbs Of
Richmond shot was fired At the Presi-
dent OF the Confsderacy from behind
high wall Mr.. Davis continues: There
were many reasons before the Dahl
green raid for believing that efforts in
consistent with the rules of war as pTac-
ticed By civilized nations were
made to insure assassinations,
especially Of the Preside Mt, and TO
acquire information by spies, resident
and trsnsitory, and that large rewards
were offered for such services, including
arson and murder. On one occasion
when l was known to be travelling on the
railroad to the army, information was
brought by lady who had overheard
A CONVERSATION IN BARN
that Instructions were to be placed on
the track, and the information YVES YER
flied by 8 detachment sent, who found
the distractions and some United States
soldiers seCreted in barn near the place
where the train was expected to be
wrecked.
Mr.. Davis gives his motives and polit-
iCal status in 1861 aud claims he never was
q disunionist, but that northern senators
rejected ct that time every proposition
th at promised pRCihCatlOn. He refers to
B. F. Butler voting for him tifty-seven
times al Charleston, S. c., in 1860, SIS the
candidate for the Democratic party for
President to prevent disunlOn, end he
declares he did not desire TO be President
Of the ConfedersCy, but took prompt, and
as he thought, adequate means to pre-
vent It.
After his election and Inauguration ct
sII his efforts were direC-
ted towards securing for the Sc
Ceding states 8 peaceful seps-
ration, though he never thought
of going back into the Union to escape a
last resort to the arbitrament of arms.
Mr.. Davis discussed his experience SIS
Secretary of War in Mr. Pierce's Cabinet
and as United States Senator from Mis-
sissippi, his career as President OF the
Southern ConfedergCy, aud is eloquent II
his praise Of Generals Albert Sidney
Johnston, Lee, Jackson, and A, 2. Hill.
lie says 4. S. Johnston had no peer on
either side during the Wsr, if nc ever had
in American history, and his loss to the
was irrepsrable. Lee was
MS associate and friend at Yves. Point
with LeonidSs Polk and John B. Magru-
der, and there was aughG but
HARMONY BETWEEN THEM.
Speaking of the seven days battle
around Richmond, MI. Davis says Gen
9ral Lee conceived and executed the des-
oerate plan to turn the flank and rear of
army, and added that the
failure to annihiliete the federal army
was due chiefly to the fact that Lee had
no maps of the country below Richmond,
and that his army moved in ignorance OF
The country and with guides who
or the most part proved themselves
Utterly inefficient. He says that
Lees object IN the retreat from
Petersburg in the last days of tae war
vas TO reach Danville and then unite with |
Johnson and crush Sherman before Grant |
could join him. He declares that McCleI- |
an and Meade were the two best federal |
and if the former had been per- |
nitted to carry out his campaigns |
against Richmond as ;he had planned il,
md had received the hearty support of
he Federal War Department, it would |
lave resulted
TO THE CONFEDERATEs. |
Speaking of StoneWsll Jackson,
lie said that had he not fallen |
It Charlottesville the federal |
Irmy of the Potomac would have |
into history under circum-
tances far different from those which |
marked its dissolution two years later.
Mr.. Davis and his family are warm in |
heir praise of the late John W. Garrett |
nd confirms CARROTS statement made |
,efore his death of how he secured Mr..